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Homelessness Is Good — for Some
Why the Uphill Climb to Ending Homelessne$$?
Ask yourself, with all the “End Homelessness in 10 Year” campaigns, why hasn’t it happened?
Homelessness is good for the economy. It’s a profit-making venture. Too bad for the human carnage.
Without getting all Robert Reich-y on you, let me point out a few areas where homelessness is profitable.
STORAGE UNITS
Almost every newly-homeless family I’ve interviewed in my 15 years of HEAR US travels as I’ve chronicled hundreds of stories, the parent will talk about putting their stuff in storage. While this makes certain sense in limited situations, it boils down to paying to store what you’re eventually going to lose.
This growth industry shows no signs of easing, even according to this pre-pandemic article. “There are an estimated 45,000 storage facilities across the country, and new construction has tripled in the past five years. There is now an estimated 6.5 square feet of self-storage space for every person in America.